Tate Britain,
Millbank
London SW1P 4RG
Call for Papers
Friday 30 April 2004
A one-day conference at Tate Britain to coincide with the publication of William Blake: The Painter at Work (ed.) Joyce Townsend, Senior Conservation Scientist, Tate Collection (Tate Publishing, 2003) and the 'Blake at Work' display in Room 8.
This conference is intended to widen the debate about Blake's materials, processes and techniques. New studies by conservation scientists working on Blake's originals have enlarged our understanding of his craft, skills and use of materials. How did Blake create the colour prints and the temperas? Have some of the watercolours lost their colour? Why are some of the temperas so brown and gloomy in appearance? Many of these mysteries have now been solved but what are implications of such studies to conventional literary or art historical approaches to Blake? How might Blake's use of animal glue in the temperas or rejection of oil-based paint in the colour prints have a bearing on our understanding of Blake's statements and theories about his art?
Papers of some 20-30 minutes length are invited. Please send 300 word abstracts to blakeattate@hotmail.com before 31 March 2004.
Registration: To include morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, early evening reception, 20 or 10 concessions. To Register please email: blakeattate@hotmail.com
Invited speakers include Noa Cahaner McManus, Bronwyn Ormsby and Joyce Townsend.
Conference Organizers:
For Tate Collection: Robin Hamlyn, Joyce Townsend.
For The Nottingham Trent University, Minne Tanaka, David Worrall